Neon Skates
by ifonly13
Summary: "They had been buried in the back of her closet for years now.  She didn't even know they were back there, that they survived the explosion or that they had made the trip to her new apartment." Written for the Christmas Challenge 2011.


_A/N: __Written for the Christmas Challenge 2011._

_**Disclaimer: Wouldn't it be a lovely present to get even a piece of Castle?**  
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><p>They had been buried in the back of her closet for years now. She didn't even know they were back there, that they survived the explosion or that they had made the trip to her new apartment. But as she shoved hangers around in the closet, searching for her heavy blue coat, the flash of bright pink caught her eye. The smile crept onto her face without her even noticing, the coat forgotten.<p>

It had been forever since she had laced them on and gone to make a fool of herself down in front of the ever-present crowd at Rockefeller Center. Kate braced her hand on the closet door as she leaned into the depths to hook a finger around the tied laces of the ice skates. She ran a finger over the toe of the skate. It was Christmas Eve, so she really didn't need to be at work. She could take the morning off to see the tree, get some hot cocoa, and perhaps fall on her butt a few times on the ice rink.

Her phone rang from where she had tossed it on her bed. With the skates still dangling from her fingers, Kate answered without looking at the caller ID; she knew who it was.

"What are you up to?"

She rolled her eyes, turning to sit on the mattress, setting the skates on the comforter next to her. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

His laugh was barely contained and the hint of a chuckle carried into the phone. "You have someone slinking away from your lair, Beckett?"

"Yeah right." She didn't add that she hadn't had someone slinking away from her bedroom nor had she done the walk of shame since the summer. "Actually, I was thinking of doing a half-day. I was going to call you to let you know. I won't be in until this afternoon."

"Really? The workaholic is taking time off? What is the catalyst for this momentous decision which will surely go down in the history books?"

It was the briefest of debates that occurred in her mind. "Do you have ice skates, Castle?"

The question obviously threw him for a loop since he hesitated. "Uh, I think so. Why?"

"I was thinking of going down to Rockefeller Center for the day."

"How very un-Beckett like of you. Are you looking for company or…?"

Kate cradled the phone between her shoulder and ear, digging in her drawers for a warmer sweater. "If you don't have anything to do. I mean, don't you have plans with Alexis and your mother on Christmas Eve?"

She could hear his sigh. "They have parties to go to. This afternoon is completely open for your taking, Detective."

"Good. I'll pick you up in thirty minutes. Dress warm."

Her next call was to the precinct to let the desk sergeant know that she wouldn't be in that day. She'd make it up tomorrow after breakfast with her father, taking the shift on Christmas Day that was so often requested off by those with children.

She parked outside of his apartment a little later than the half hour timeframe she had given him. The screaming pink skates were on the backseat, hidden under an extra scarf and warm knit gloves and a matching hat. No need to embarrass herself right off the bat. Kate had started to text him but he was already saying goodbye to Eduardo in the lobby. He jogged over, his own pair of plain, brown leather skates slung over his shoulder.

"Hey," he said, his teeth chattering a little from the short distance from the front door of his building to her car. "Thank God you got your heating fixed!"

"The NYPD Maintenance Department will be glad to take a tip from you any day," she responded, pulling out into the light traffic of midday. "I was thinking lunch before we head to the rink. Have a preference?"

They ended up at a sandwich place, crowded in with last-minute shoppers. Castle managed to snag them a little booth where they could eat in some amount of peace. Despite his complaints of the cold weather, Castle had gotten a cold cut sandwich, picking off bits of turkey and eating them separately from the cheese and bread. Kate had taken to cutting up the meatballs from her sub and stabbing them with her fork instead of fighting with what was always a messy sandwich.

Somehow they had gotten lucky with parking and Rockefeller Center was only a block away from the little restaurant. Kate insisted that they walk over instead of running the risk of losing the prime parking. He whined even as he wrapped his scarf around his neck a third time, looking like a turtle poking his head out of a blue and grey striped shell.

Kate leaned into the car to pull out her own weather protection, tugging the visor of the pale grey beanie hat down over her curls, looping the scarf around her neck, and stuffing the gloves into her pocket.

"What are those?" he exclaimed, covering his eyes as the skates blinded him.

"My skates. You have a problem with them," she said, swinging them up over her shoulder and coming close to cutting his nose off, "you can find your own way home."

He shook his head, keeping a hand over his eyes. "No, I'm good. They just surprised me."

She poked him in the side, indicating that she was starting to walk over. "I surprised the great Richard Castle with a pair of ice skates?"

"Neon pink ice skates are worthy of surprise, Kate."

The sidewalks were still slick with snow from a few days ago, turned to slush and making walking a dangerous event. There were times when she had to throw a hand out to catch Castle as he slipped, grabbing hold of his jacket and hauling him back onto semi-steady feet. How she could have run down that suspect yesterday in her hellishly high heels without a single falter still amazed him. Even now, in her fur-lined hiking boots, she was still more graceful than the other people hurrying past them.

Rockefeller Center's ice rink wasn't busy; it was only a little after one o'clock and most people were at work or school. This was perfect. It gave her time to get her rhythm down before the truly talented skaters made their appearances in the evening.

They walked down the steps to the rink's level, finding an empty bench to change from their sneakers and boots into the skates. Kate stuck her foot out, admiring the color of her skates compared to Castle's faded leather ones.

She caught him staring at her and she raised a brow in his direction as she got up to find a place to hide their shoes.

"I still can't believe you, of all people, own those… monstrosities."

Kate turned quickly, still unbelievably graceful on the blades of the skates, and hit him solidly in the chest. "I'll have you know that these skates are fantastic. Haven't you heard of the saying 'don't judge a book by its cover?'"

"Well, yeah, but that's about books. Not pink skates." He placed his sneakers next to her shoes behind one of the pine trees along the edge of the rink. As they walked back toward the rink, Kate pulled on the black gloves, tucking her hair behind her ear just to have it fall back against her cheek.

"The concept applies."

A few families with small children were circling the edge of the rink while more advanced skaters twirled in the middle, doing jumps and spins.

"Hey, Kate?"

She responded with a hum.

"Exactly how good of an ice skater are you?" She looked over her shoulder and he held out his hands. "I know you said it was a disaster when we looked at those photos, but seriously. You gonna be pulling out some Kristi Yamaguchi on me?"

She tested the ice before gliding out onto it, still holding the rail with her right hand. "No worries there, Castle." Kate could feel him at her back as she took a few tentative steps on the ice, trying to get her muscles to recall the right pattern of pushing off to the side necessary to go somewhere. Her gloved hand slipped against the rail and her feet slid across the surface of the ice.

Castle grabbed her from behind, steadying her just as she had done for him on the sidewalk earlier. "Gotcha." His voice sent a warm breeze past her ear and Kate fought back a shiver that wouldn't have come from the cold.

"Thanks."

Then he swept past her, skating backwards with an ease that scared her. His hands were in his pockets as he circled around her with a grin. "You going to let go of the rail anytime soon?"

"Seriously?" She was certain her mouth was hanging open. "You said you were a horrible skater!"

Castle stopped in front of her long enough to tap her on the nose. "Ah ah ah, Detective. You said you were a bad skater. I never said anything about my personal ability." He pushed away before she could retaliate.

She rolled her eyes, then glided away from the railing. He was laughing as she held her hands out to the side to keep her balance. "Don't make me regret inviting you, Castle," she warned, following him even as he continued to skate backwards, her feet unsteady on the ice. "How'd you get so good?"

"I was going to try out for the hockey team in high school. Lost two teeth at the first practice and dropped out." As she caught up to him, he turned to face the same direction, done showing off for now. "Plus I use to bring Alexis skating here every year when she was little. When you have a kid who has no idea how to skate you are sort of forced to become decent at it."

"Makes sense." Kate wobbled and Castle caught her hand, holding her up. She shot a smile at him. "Wait! You? Playing hockey?"

His smile was sheepish. "The cool kids were doing it."

"And you weren't already a 'cool kid?'"

"Not by a long shot, Kate."

Neither of them really noticed the crowd of people slowly gathering on the ice as school let out or their works shift ended. The sun was setting between the buildings, casting a red-gold glow onto the chrome around the rink. After they were jostled for the sixth time by a family swinging their kid between them, Kate suggested they take a break.

Skates were traded back for regular shoes as they searched out a place to grab dinner. The nearest restaurant that wasn't packed for dinner was a place that made gourmet salads in large mixing bowls. Kate settled down with a Cobb salad while Castle had his loaded with meat, insisting that he needed protein to continue skating with any sort of skill.

On the walk back to Rockefeller Center, they stopped at one of the numerous Starbucks along the New York streets to get hot chocolate. She had hers flavored with peppermint while he stuck with the original. The cups, a bright red broken only by the ring of cardboard intended to protect their fingertips from being burnt off, warmed their hands, the smell of cocoa mixing with the scent of snow and the city.

The tree lights were on, sending a sparkling glow onto the ice and the faces of those skating over the surface. It had thinned out, mostly the families with small children leaving for bedtime or dinner. They were able to claim their old hiding place for their street shoes, wobbling over to the ice for the second time on hot pink and leather skates. She wasn't as unsteady this time, her muscles remembering the motions after such a short break. Still, he was more confident that she, gliding out into the center, going backwards without his skates catching on each other as they crossed.

Kate caught herself smiling at the back of his head as he passed in front of the Atlas statue, nearly tripping over a teenage boy trying to impress a girl staggering along behind him, his hands held out for her to grab. The fact that the image was so like her movements with Castle earlier should have disturbed her, frightened her. But it didn't. Instead, the picture spread warmth through her limbs right to her toes, a smile creeping onto her face.

"Glad to see you enjoying yourself, Detective."

Castle was back, keeping rhythm with her along the edge of the rink. He glanced at where her eyes were drawn just as the girl reached the boy's hands. He tugged her closer, their skates bumping as the boy kissed her.

"That's sweet."

She nodded, going around an elderly couple still clinging to the railing. "It is." When she looked over at him, the same thing that the young boy had in his eyes when he looked at his girl was there in Castle's eyes as he watched her. The expression had her stumbling, the toe of her skate catching on the ice.

His hands held her forearms, her momentum carrying her so their chests were nearly pressed together. When she peered up at him from under the small rim of her hat, that look was still across his face, heightened by the adrenaline rush.

"You really aren't a good skater, are you, Kate?" he asked, his voice barely a dynamic higher than a whisper.

She shook her head. "No. But I did warn you."

They hadn't let go of each other's arms, standing in the way of other skaters. Neither noticed. It wasn't until an overeager middle-aged man collided with Kate's back that they finally moved. Kate could feel a definite blush on her cheeks as she looked down at her skates.

"Want to keep going or do you need to be home to Alexis?" she asked, keeping her eyes from meeting his. They were moving slowly toward one of the openings in the railing, passing under the statue and the small trees that flanked the man holding the globe on his shoulders.

Castle bit his tongue on the comment of how the multicolored lights made the lowlights of her hair stand out or how bright the red and purple and blue were on her pale skin. Even those silly pink skates were becoming more magical in the lights of Christmas.

"Alexis won't be back from her party until later. I'm free until about midnight." He hesitated, his fingers still curled around the inside of her elbow. "Unless you want to head back."

Her smile was secretive as she let her gloved fingers settle over his bare ones. "No. We can stay for a little longer."

With her permission granted, they continued past the exit, starting another round of the rink. He hadn't let go of her elbow and she hadn't shook him off. In fact, she had kept close to his side, looping her elbow through his, her head resting on his shoulder. He was surprised that she was letting him lead, keeping the pace slow for her sake and hoping that the more casual his pace, the longer she'd agree to stay.

They didn't talk as they circled. The rink was emptying as the sky darkened, the lights on the Christmas trees around the rink becoming a rainbow of colors as they skated over it. The two of them weren't the only ones left but there were so few people that Castle certainly felt as though he and Kate owned the rink.

"Thanks."

He looked down and found her smiling up at him from where her head still laid against his arm. "For what?"

"Coming with me today. It was nice." She had to turn her eyes back to the ice as she felt her ankles turn out. They'd been out here longer than she thought. "Really nice."

"Right back at you, Detective," he responded, spinning her out in front of him in a move that had her stomach dropping to her toes. But, as always, he caught her with a grin. "I have a present for you. But you can say no if you want."

That had her raising her brow. "What type of present is it that I can turn it down?"

For the first time in their time on the rink, Castle appeared to be the more nervous to the two. "Just…"

"Well? You going to tell me what it is so I know whether I want to deny this gift?" When he continued to let his eyes flick from their hands to the skates to the other people around them. "You know what, Castle? Just lay it on me."

Before he could find a way to back out, Castle leaned down, keeping her hands tightly in his so she didn't fall. His lips hesitated a moment over hers, giving her a chance to pull away, but instead, Kate made a dangerous move and tried to push up to meet him. Of course her skates slipped and as he slid his arms around her elbows and pulled her up, their mouths met on a gasp.

She tasted of chocolate and peppermint, like a diffused York patty. With the setting, it was close to magical. Afraid of lingering and scaring her away, Castle pulled back. One hand stayed on her arm, keeping her from falling, while the other coming to rest against her cheek. His thumb rubbed gently under her eye, his fingers slowly dislodging her knit hat from her head. Kate reached up, pulling the hat back into place but her eyes stayed on his, a smile being hinted at from the corner of her lips.

"That was a lovely present, Castle," she managed, though her voice sounded shaky and weak to her own ears. "No idea why you thought I'd turn that down."

"Want another one?"

She gave her arm a wiggle, loosening his fingers from their perch. She pushed away, gliding back toward one of the exits. "Let's not get greedy in the season of selflessness, shall we?"

They changed shoes in silence, elbows brushing one another as they tied laces and straightened jeans into their shoes. Kate had the pink skates over her shoulder, the blades leaving lines of shaved ice on the back of her blue coat. Castle reached around her, untucking her hair from under the laces of the skates and brushing the ice from the wool of her coat.

His fingers itched to lace into hers, to have even that small amount of contact through her gloves. But he didn't, his hand fisted in his pocket on the walk back to where she had parked the car. The seats were cold but she put the heating on full-blast as she tossed her hat and skates into the backseat just as he did. The laces of their skates tangled, neon pink twisting with tan leather.

Traffic was light and the ride far too short for Castle's liking. He whined about only hearing two Christmas songs on the station that played holiday music twenty-four seven. But still, she parked the car outside of his building.

He had his hand braced on her seat as he reached back to grab his skates. Forgetting they were tangled up in hers, he tugged them and was nearly jabbed in the eye by the blade of her skates. He pulled both sets up to the front seat, rolling his eyes in her direction as she started to help untie the laces to get them apart.

This time, it was Kate who grabbed Castle's wrist as he got out of the car. "Castle, thanks."

"It was fun, Kate."

Shocking the both of them, Kate tugged on his wrist, bringing him back into the car, and kissing him again. It was just as quick as the one on the ice back at Rockefeller Center but far less dangerous.

"Merry Christmas, Castle." Her smile lit up the car even in the dim lighting from overhead.

"And to you, Detective."

She waited until Eduardo met him at the door, until he turned to wave back at her before she pulled away to go home.

The apartment was chilly and she turned the heat up as she passed the thermometer on the wall, toeing her shoes off. The skates dangled from her right hand as she went to the closet. Instead of burying them in the back depths of the closet, Kate placed them near the front, next to her extensive collection of heels. The neon pink stood out against the blacks and nudes and deep browns, but she had to smile at the contrast. The bright against the neutral was eerily similar to her relationship with Castle. With a little shake of her head at the idea, Kate closed the door of the closet, changed into her pajamas, and went back to settle on her couch to watch Christmas movies until she drifted to sleep under a throw blanket, promising herself that this would be the last Christmas Eve she spends alone.

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><p><em>AN: Sweet and fun - just what I needed with the stress of finals pressing down on me. _I promise I'm going to continue _Four Letters _and _Comfort_ as soon as finals are over. Unfortunately, the things I've been able to put off during the semester pile up at the end and I'm left with little to no time for fun things like writing non-research papers.__

___That said, reviews would also help relieve some of that stress!_


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